Complex Transparent Home Zig-Zagged by Multiple Staircases

By Delana

Tokyo-based architect Yuusuke Karasawa has created a glass and steel home that M.C. Escher would feel right at home in. The S House is a graceful jumble of staircases and platforms, all encased in an entirely transparent glass exterior. The S House occupies the same height as a two-story home, but it is segmented into five split levels. There are no walls between rooms; instead, the design relies on the physical separation of spaces to denote different zones. Each area is accessed via the series of criss-crossing staircases. In some parts of the home, what might logically seem like a single room due to the lack of walls is actually two separate rooms. You can’t cross from one to the other without first heading back to the unifying stairs and navigating around their solid steel supports. This incredibly complex home is the architect’s comment on our increasingly complicated relationship with the internet and the vast amounts of information found here. Although it is all connected, the internet is also segmented – you can’t always easily get from one point to the next. The four clear facades? Perhaps those are an answer to our desire for transparency in our ever-increasing information overload. The home may seem like nothing but void spaces, but it is a fully functional residence. A bathroom, reception room, kitchen, dining room, two bedrooms, study, and storage area area all located on various mezzanine areas within the glass home. The S House’s remarkable design is balanced by its overall minimal aesthetic. The home extends below ground and above the roof, featuring twin roof terraces from which to survey the neighborhood.